Cho Ain't Enough
by BFangz
Summary: Cho has gotten Summer out of his life and is considering what happened with Agent Wade, when a new situation enters his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Cho Ain't Enough**

As usual I woke up thirty seconds before the clock went off. I've always been good at waking up when I need to, and the Corps drilled it into me. I still set a clock, but it's more for the pleasure of beating it and turning off before it goes off, than the actual need for it.

I swung my feet to the floor and stood, taking a hands high stretch. Twenty five situps, crunches and push ups later, I was ready for my morning shower. The automatic coffee pot had brewed as I stepped out of the shower. I sat at my small table and sipped my hot black Colombian brew. The radio was tuned to 92.5 KFBK to get the news, weather and traffic.

I know, I don't have a car, but I get some degree of satisfaction by listing to the miseries of those that do. It's the small things in life, but it really didn't lighten my foul Saturday morning mood. Summer was gone and out of my life, and although I'm glad she's happy, good riddance. She cause me to betray a confidence and lose a friend. I sighed. It was just one of those things. You have to honor commitments, and when two commitments conflict, you have to choose. I chose Summer as the earlier commitment, and it bit me.

I'd do it again, but I'm sorry it turned out the way it did. I learned something, though. Something that may have saved my life. Agent Wade, the head of the rapid response team, obviously does not trust me or my judgment. I told her Summer had been my CI and that she was not part of this, but Wade went all law and order on me. She was willing to go by the book, ignoring justice, giving up Summer's chance for a life.

What would it take for her to give my life up? When you go into combat, and rapid response is combat, you have to believe and trust that your squad has your back. Why are we doing this? Is it to enforce a blind law or to seek justice? Where do we draw the line? I know where I draw the line. I draw it where my gut tells me, and, so far, it's been dead on. It was dead on with Summer. I know it was. What would Wade do if push came to shove? What decision would she make?

I groaned and turned the radio off. Once the political blather starts, I lose interest. I'm convinced that those who can do, and that those who can't get a talk show. Saturday morning isn't too bad, but I'm just not in the mood.

I walked over to the refrigerator and stared in. Not a damn thing I wanted. That's about par for the course, these past few days. When life turns to shit, you can count on it only getting worse.

I walked into the corner McDonald's. I stopped inside the door, for a moment, just to smell the odors of warm food. There's something about the smell of warm food that seems to improve the mood. The cute, petite, Chinese, morning girl recognized me and smiled.

"Good morning, Kimbal. Your usual?" I lifted and eyebrow and felt a flicker of a smile, which I suppressed almost instantly. "You think I don't know," she said smiling. "Egg McMuffin, black coffee, and ice on the side. I know." She nodded, wisely.

She not only knows my name, but my usual order! I can't remember her name, if I every really knew it. How did she do that? I know I've never told her my name. I squinted and managed to read her name from her name plate. I'm grateful for my excellent vision! I allowed a polite smile. "You are correct, Liling. Very observant."

She looked down and giggled, a very Chinese giggle, that only the Chinese girls can manage. "Thank you, Cho Kimbal," she said, turning to gather my order.

Curious. She said my name in the traditional manner. She was quick with the order, and though I hadn't said it, I was glad she'd put two Egg Micks on the tray. The coffee cup was large and a little ice was in a sauce holder for me to use to cool the always, too hot coffee.

I almost inhaled the first sandwich, but slowed down to enjoy the second one. I glanced towards Liling and our eyes briefly met. I couldn't help it. I gave a half smile and winked. I think she blushed and looked down. I could hear the tinkle of her giggle.

As usual, I had folded the sandwich wrappers into neat little squares and placed them on the tray next to the empty ice container and coffee cup. I leaned back and stretched, feeling much better. Food and coffee can have that effect. Liling saw me preparing to leave and she came bustling over. She quickly picked up the tray and wiped the table. "You wait short time, okay?" she asked, turning without an answer, taking the tray to the tray drop. On the way back, she placed a small card on the table. She smiled. "You have a good day, Cho Kimbal," she said, smiling and returning to her station.

I picked up the card and read, "One pm, you meet me front door, okay?" I looked up at her and she was staring at me, an anxious look on her face. I nodded, and she visibly relaxed and smiled. Now I was really curious, but one pm would take care of that.

Standing outside, I wished I'd worn more than a sweat shirt. According to the radio, the temperature was supposed to reach fifty five degrees, today, but it had not happened, yet! It was rather chilly, discouraging me from standing around wondering what this was all about.

.~~~~~~~.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cho Ain't Enough – II**

Her name was Zhou Liling, Chinese style. Her father, a physicist, had been in the country long enough to become a citizen, but Liling had been born in China, twenty three years ago. It's amazing what you can learn from a few, good, law enforcement data bases. Sometimes I wonder if it's even fair.

What's wrong with me? It seems that I'm beginning to doubt what I do and how it's done. We're after the bad guys, and we need every edge we can get. They do **not** play by the rules and, _for the most part, _we do. When we don't, when we abuse our position, are we any better than they?

My lap top beeping interrupted my considerations. Low battery? Damn! I'd kicked the cord out of the power socket. I'd been operating on batteries for I don't know how long! I snorted. I wish all problems were this easy to solve.

Once I had it plugged in, and the battery indicator was all happy, I did a little research on Liling. She'd recently graduated with a BA in psyche. I shook my head. No wonder she was working a McDonald's. A BA isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I'm going to guess that her father can afford to get her a graduate degree, if she wants it. Maybe she's just taking a break. She's squeaky clean.

Her father had been subject to some heavy duty investigation. His area of research was a national defense priority, it seems. I'm not sure I even want to try to understand what he does, but it has something to do with the subatomic properties of semi conductor and dielectric substances. A couple of Google searches and I guessed this could apply to the manufacture of some screaming fast computer chips. Yes, that could get the government interested in you, but he'd past and now held a top security clearance. Beyond that, the firewalls kicked my ass off line. So much for that. It's not worth bothering Grace about. That girl could sneak a round any firewall she'd encountered. Amazing.

I put the laptop to sleep, closed the lid and leaned back. I could fantasize that Liling was hitting on me, but from the concern on her face, when she was waiting for my reply to her note, I'm going to guess that's not the reason. I sighed. A man can wish, right?

Now, that I was no longer starving, and I'd done the basic research on Liling, thoughts of food began to get my attention. I threw a couple of cups of brown rice into the steamer and checked to make sure I still had some surimi. I did. My mother would probably kill me if she knew that I was going to liberally sprinkle Cajun seasoning on the whole thing. I can't help it. I have developed a real taste for that stuff. I grinned. She'd probably call it a character flaw.

It was almost at the top of the hour, so I turned the radio on to get the news. I don't even own a TV. Anything I need to watch, I can get on the computer, so why waste the money and time on such a mind numbing, propaganda device?

I caught the bumper music of KFBK switching to the news. A brief financial item did get my attention. Jisu Electric had renewed a major DARPA project. This would bode well for their stock prices! It caught my attention because Jisu Electric is the company that Liling's father worked for. I could feel the grimace. I don't believe in coincidences. What is this girl going to get me into?

I could just walk away, but we know better. I'm not a walk away sort of guy. Especially when there's a cute, little, Asian girl involved. I nodded and smiled, remembering her. She, maybe, had a patent on cute.

.~~~~~~~.

She smiled when she saw that I was waiting for her. The weather had improved and it seemed to be warmer than forecast, not that I mind. She was wearing tight, black slacks and a black sued jacket that went well with her page boy hair cut. Of course, her hair was jet black and you couldn't really tell if she was goth or prep. I glanced at her feet and the almost knee high black boots, with the small skull on each ankle made me thing goth. On her, it looked good. It wasn't over the top, almost understated, but the look was there.

She walked towards me, smiling. The traces of shyness seemed to have vanished. She held out her hand. "Thank you for meeting me, Cho Kimbal. I am Zhou Liling. You will please call me Liling."

"I'll call you Liling if you will call me Kimbal," I replied. Her eyes widened, and for a brief moment, that trace of shyness returned, but then vanished, and the American Goth Girl reappeared.

"Thank you Kimbal. I can do that." She smiled. "I guess you're wondering why I asked you to meet me." She took me by the arm, before I could reply. "We will walk, okay?" Not waiting for my reply, she headed away from McDonald's and towards my apartment. "Your are Cho Kimbal of CBI, yes?"

Okay, she knows my name and where I work. I wonder if I should be worried. That's stupid. Of course I should be worried. Life, when it's wrapped in a cute girl, has to have something unpleasant in store for you. I smiled and replied, "I am he and you are Zhou Liling, daughter of Zhou Cheng and a recent graduate of Sac State." I was please with the effect my statement had on her. She stopped, her grip on my arm stopped me and she stared at me, her mouth forming a small surprise O. That look and her reaction is going to be a treasured memory for a long time, I think!

"Oh, I hope you will help me! I'm sure, now, that I have chosen wisely to seek your help." She stared at me, eyes wide. "You will help me, won't you?" She looked around. "We should not be talking out here. We go some place private, okay?"

She really did seem scared. It's hard for any guy to ignore a cute girl that's asking for help.

.~~~~~~~.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cho Ain't Enough – III**

Since we were near my apartment, I headed there. I really wasn't all that surprised when she turned into the door way before I did. Hmm. She knows where I live. Why does that sound like a cheap cliché? It's a three flight walk, up a narrow stair way. I like that. I grinned. If means only one person at a time can mount the stairs and anyone waiting at the top has a clear field of fire. I sighed. I guess some habits die hard.

I have a magnetic card lock on the door. The only way someone is going to beat this pattern is to take this card off of my body. When I come home, and the door is still secure, I _know _that there has been no breach. Her eyes widened when I pulled out my card and pressed it to the sensor. She grinned. "Oh, a three second delay. Cleaver," she said, admiration in her voice.

I was actually pleased. I nodded. "No sequential generator is going to crack this 256 bit pattern!" I chuckled "Entropy would set in before you could hit all of the combinations, limited to one every three seconds!"

She giggled. There is was again! That cute little Chinese giggle! "Couldn't someone just kick the door in, if they were serious?"

I nodded. "It's theoretically possible, but I have had the door frame replace with steel beams, and the door is a quarter inch of case hardened metal covered with a wood laminate. You have to make a lot of noise, and it would be a lot harder than anyone would ever suspect." She smiled and nodded, so I continued. "The real purpose of that door is not to keep the bad guys out as much as it is to let me know that none have gotten in, while I'm gone. If I am inside, it'll buy me enough time take a shower and be ready for them."

That got another giggle. I guess at the though of me taking a leisurely shower while people were trying to break my door down. I pushed the door open and waved her in. "Be comfortable," I said. "Can I get you anything?" I'll have to give Jane credit. He really did work with me on being more social. Not that I use it at work, but it's nice to be able to sound almost normal when chatting with a pretty girl.

She looked around, like she was studying it. "It suits you," she observed. "I've seen you on TV and I was fascinated by how calm you seem when everyone else is in panic mode."

I nodded. So that's how she got my name and recognized me. That was actually a relief. There's actually a good chance that I'm not being set up. "Can I get you anything," I asked the socially appropriate question.

She smiled. "What are the chances you have green tea?"

"If you like mint, 100%," I replied.

"Oh, I love mint. Do you have any honey?"

I smiled and pointed to a shelf, where a ¾ jar of raw honey was sitting.

"I think I'm going to like you," she said smiling.

I put the water on to boil, and she continued to look around. She walked around the room, counter clockwise, inspecting without touching anything. Neither of us said anything. The water finally boiled and I poured the steaming substance over the tea bag in our cups. I flipped over the three minute egg timer and watched the grains of sand run into the lower half. I was actually buying time to think. So far, I have no reason to distrust her, but it is a rather strange meeting. I sighed.

"Meticulous," she said, "or are you just trying to decide what to do with me?"

"Both," I admitted. I handed her the honey and said, "Here. You do yours." She took the jar and put in more than I'd expected. Okay, can I make small talk? I grinned and said, "Please tell me you are as sweet as you've make your tea." That got me another giggle.

She seemed to blush as she replied, "I think you'll have to decide that."

Ouch! I didn't know what to say. "So," I lamely offered, "tell me why you are here and what I can do for you." I waved to my small table, that actually had two chairs and can almost accommodate two people.

She sat, took a sip of the tea, sat it down and put her elbows on the table cradling her chin in her hands. "You know my father's name. Do you know what he does?"

"I can't say that I do. I'd guess something to do with computer chips, but that's a guess."

She smiled. "You're good. Even that much is supposed to be top secret. I know what he does because we live together, but he's never really told me. Security, you know." I nodded. "Two nights ago, he told me that he'd been approached by some men that introduced themselves to him by handing him a picture of me and suggesting that they discuss my health."

Oh, this is sounding far to real! No wonder she's been looking so scared.

"Before they could continue, one of the department heads drove up and offered him a ride home. The man doing the talking smiled and told him to go and that they could talk later. He's scared for me and I'm scared for him and me! What should I do? Can you help me?"

She picked up her cup of green tea, and I could see that her hands were trembling. Okay, I believe her. I'm probably a sucker, but I am going to get involved here. I tightened my lips and stiffly said, "Yes, I will help you."

.~~~~~~~.


	4. Chapter 4

**Cho Ain't Enough – IV**

She gulped her tea, put the cup down and hugged her self, eyes downcast as if she was freezing. She gently rocked, leaning slightly forward and then back; her eyes downcast and her chin almost on her breast bone. "Thank you," she said in a low, trembling voice. "I've been so scared, and I just didn't know what to do. Dad was afraid to tell anyone; afraid of what they might do to me."

I stood and put my hand on her far shoulder, trying to offer some reassurance. "Relax a little. We'll figure it it out, and you know that you're safe, now. No one even knows that you're here." She nodded, choking back a sob. She put her arm around my waist and leaned her head on my chest. "Thank you," she managed again."

I started to reply when her cell phone rang. She sat upright and reached into her jacket, pulling out her phone. She glanced at the display and flipped it open. "Hi, Dad," she said. She listened and nodded. Finally, she said, "Dad, I don't know if we should be talking on these phones. They really aren't secure. We don't know who could be listening." She listened and replied, "Yes, I do have my stick and I'll use that to contact you. I'm okay, now. I'm with a friend who can help and protect us." She smiled. "Honest! It is not one of my college friends." She giggled. "I'll email real soon." She nodded. "Yes, Dad. Love you too."

She hung up and before she could say anything, I said, "You won't talk on the phone, but you think email is secure?" I was really curious. She was technically informed, but email?

She grinned a grin that said, "I know something you don't." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a memory stick. "Portable GPG and my VPN credentials," she said smiling.

I stared at the ceiling and shook my head. Grace is really into this stuff, and, sometimes, it sounds like she's speaking a foreign language. I can break down and assemble every weapon I use blindfolded. I can even use my laptop to search our databases and to do the things I need to do, but that's it. "Liling, I can only believe that you know what you're doing, there. You need my computer?" I nodded towards it.

"Oh, thank you," she said, flipping the lid open and waking it. She plugged in her mem stick, and in a few seconds, there was a little green icon glowing on my status bar.

.~~~~~~~.

It really didn't take that long for us to decide that the best place for her was in my apartment. She'd told her Dad that she was safe with a trusted and reliable friend, but never mentioned my name or location. I was flattered. She seems to have placed almost unlimited trust in me and I really hope I can live up to here expectations. The more I learn about this, that scarier it sounds. This was not a simple gang land hit or extortion attempt.

She'd described to me what her father had said about the men, including the name Yuri. That's a name I've heard before, and that's the same man he is as serious as cancer – _**if**_ it's the same man, and from the gig, I'd bet on it. I'm already thinking that this is going to take a _**lot**_ more horse power than I have, but with Jane, Lisbon, and the team, with all the connections we have, I'm guessing we pack quite a punch. She made a good choice picking me.

She stood up from the computer and took off her jacket. I felt my blood pressure rise. The shirt she was wearing, though it was goth motif, with skulls, bones, and form fitting, was more revealing that total nudity! It was off one shoulder and the top was translucent and below her breasts, transparent. There were skulls over each mostly revealed breast that accented her tiny, perfectly formed nipples. The form fitting fabric displayed her very slim waist and her leather pants, accented her hips. How had I missed what a total knock out she was?

"Isn't this the coolest shirt you've ever seen?" she asked. "I fell in love with it the moment I saw it." She ran her hands down her body, her nipples becoming instantly erect. I love what it does for me. It shows enough to be interesting, but not so much you can see how really flat I am." She giggled. "I'll never win a wet T-shirt contest!"

"Liling," I managed, "you are a winner." What do I say, now? What would Jane do?

She giggled, reached up and grabbed my shoulders, placing a light kiss on my lips. "Thank you Kimbal. You are very kind." Another giggle. She stepped back, and while I was trying to catch my breath, for such a light kiss, that one had packed some zing, she said, "If I'm going to spend the night, here, I'll need to eat. Aren't you hungry, yet?"

I took a deep breath, trying to focus. She has to realize what she's doing! I just wish I knew what it was. I nodded. "I could eat. How are you for surimi rice? I have some made. A few minutes in the microwave, and we're good to go."

"I can go for that," she said. "Please tell me that you have some Sriracha Chili Sauce."

"Is Huy Fong, good?"

She smiled and sort of bounced up and down, in anticipation. "Oh, let's eat. My favorite. I love that stuff!"

.~~~~~~~.

I'd showered and done my evening routine. Since she'd not packed a suitcase, I gave her one of my t-shirts to wear. It would at least reach her knees. I'd turned the covers down for her, and tossed a sleeping bag on the floor for myself. I didn't even mind. She was good company and it was nice to have someone around. I turned the main light off, leaving the glow of the laptop as a night light. She opened the bathroom door, and the back light framed her body, revealing her shape through my old T-shirt. I smiled in appreciation. "Bed's for you Liling."

We must both have been exhausted from the stress of the day. I think I was asleep before she managed to get under the covers. It was going to be another cool, make that cold, Sacramento night.

I woke with a start! Liling had crawled into the sleeping bag with me. "I'm cold, Kimbal. I think you have the warmer bed."

She was right, of course. My sleeping blanket is rated at -30F. She snuggled up against me and I felt my eyes pop open. "Liling," I said, "if you weren't naked, you might be warmer."

"You should talk," she said as she put her arms around me and pulled tightly against her very quickly warming body. "Now, you shouldn't talk," she whispered.

.~~~~~~~.


	5. Chapter 5

**Cho Ain't Enough – V**

The office was bitter cold. Sacramento was having some really cold weather, and our heating systems were not geared for the temperatures that we were experiencing. I wore one of my old parkas, today. I may look silly, but I'd rather look silly than feel cold. Lisbon was the second one in. She was usually first, but, today, I had wanted to spend some quality time with the computer. The office machine had access to files that our laptops were not permitted to access.

She stopped and sniffed. I'd put on coffee and the delicious aroma of brewing coffee filled the slowly warming office. She looked around and saw me. "Cho? What are you doing here so early?" She sniffed again. "Not that I mind, if you're going to make coffee." She looked at me and frowned. "Is this double strength."

I nodded.

"WHY?" she asked.

"It's good," I replied.

"Good for you maybe, but normal people want to be able to sleep sometime."

I shrugged. "Add water to it. You can make it weaker. I can't make it stronger."

She glared at me. "Don't be so damn logical. Your coffee taste like crap."

"Don't drink it."

"I want coffee when I come in!" she exclaimed. "I need coffee."

I poured myself another cup. "Feel free," I said. I'm not going to twist her arm. We have some good coffee – if you make it strong enough to actually have some flavor. Jane makes good coffee, when he makes it, but he drinks tea. The rest of them make dish water. When I make coffee, I make coffee. The rest of them complain, but I do see the pots gets empty.

Lisbon poured a cup, sipped and grimaced. She added more sugar, took another sip and nodded. "Enough sugar and I can live with it." She took another sip and sighed. "So, what brings you in so early, besides the mad desire to poison the staff?"

I sighed. "Have a situation."

She nodded. "Do you intend to tell me about it?"

I glanced over at her office. "Your office?" She nodded and headed towards her office. I couldn't help it. "You look like a penguin," I said.

.~~~~~~~.

I described the situation as I understood it, gave her the links I'd found and waited while she considered what I'd said."

Where is Liling, now?" she asked. "Are you sure that she's safe?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. She at my apartment."

Lisbon raised her eyebrows and quietly said, "At your apartment?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"And you don't see a problem with this?" she asked.

"No."

She looked at me and sighed. "Okay," she said, "I'll follow up on this. Now, go. Do what you normally do, and I'll get back to you."

I nodded and returned to my desk. "She's good people. She'll do what's right." My computer gave it's email beep, so I called up my email program. Why was I not surprised when it was from Liling? It said, "Cho man. I'm bored. Sunday, all day was so much fun. When are you going to be back?"

I shook my head. Sunday had been fun. After our very get acquainted Saturday night, Sunday Olympics had been exhausting, but SO rewarding. I thought I had stamina, but I've learned a new definition of stamina! She seemed to be unconcerned that the Russian Mafia my be looking for her, or maybe she didn't realize what that meant. I tried to impress on her the seriousness of her situation, but she seemed to thing that she was immortal. I sighed. How I wish she was, but if Yuri found her, he'd do things to her that couldn't even imaging – before raping and killing her. He was a first class sadist.

Since her father was only useful alive, he was probably safe. That's why she was being threatened. She was their leverage. At least, as long as she stayed in my apartment, she was probably safe. All I could do, now, was wait for Lisbon, but no reason I shouldn't have some fun.

Grace had come in and I thought she might have some fun tracking the email Liling had sent to me, so I challenged her to track it. The week was starting slow and cold, so we had time. Have you notice how really cold weather stops almost all crime? Maybe if we have another ice age, we'll be crime free.

I realized that Grace was standing over me. She did not look happy. "Cho, what sort of games are you playing?

"Games," I retorted lamely.

"Yes, games she said. "The trace on this email is a total dead end, and I didn't think that was possible. How'd you do it?

"I didn't do it"

"What do you mean, you didn't do it? Someone did it."

"I didn't do it," I said.

"But you know who did?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Do you know how? I want to know how?"

"When this is over, you can ask her," I said.''

"When what is over?" she asked.

"I can't say."

"You can't say?"

I shook my head.

"Men!" she exclaimed, returning to her desk."

I did reply to Liling. I told her what time I expected to be home. I did NOT mention Sunday. Anything I could have said would be anticlimactic!"

The day passed in a normal fashion, and as quitting time approached, Lisbon came into the bull pen and called, "Cho, my office!"

About time! I walked into her office and she motioned for me to sit. "You have handed us a hot potato," she said. "It seems that Jisu Electric is a private, California based firm. They do have federal contracts, but this seems to fall under California jurisdiction, so we've been assigned to it."

I nodded. This was not what I had expected, but I like the idea of being involved. I felt responsible for Liling. If anyone was going to protect her, I'm glad that it's going to be me.

"Go. Arrange a meeting with her father. You can do that, can't you?"

I nodded and stood. Time go back and arrange it with Liling.

.~~~~~~~.


	6. Chapter 6

**Cho Ain't Enough – VI**

I returned to my apartment, glad to be wearing my warm parka. It was going to be another bitter cold night. I silently ascended the three flights to my apartment and carded my door. There was an audible click, and I pushed the door open. Stepping in, I saw no sign of Liling. Damn! I hope she hasn't gone out. I _told _her to stay in! "Liling, where are you?"

She came running out of the small bathroom, dressed in her goth garb. She ran to me and hugged me tightly. "Thank the gods! I was so scared," she almost sobbed. "I kept hearing things in the hallway, all day, and I thought they were coming for me!"

Liling is tiny! She can't be more than five foot tall, and if she weighs more than a hundred pounds, I'd be very surprised. Now, she has a great shape. I'd guess her measurements are about 32, 23, 34. She is well muscled and very curvy. I guess she could weight a bit more than a hundred. Muscle does weight more than fat, and there's not much fat on her.

She was hugging me almost around my waist, her head against my chest. "Now, now," I said, not knowing what else to say, "I'm here now, and you are really safe." I stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. Somehow, she reminded me of a lost kitten, so fragile and vulnerable. I know. I'm a sucker for that, but that's why I went into law enforcement – to protect the innocent. I've seen too much slaughter of women, children and pets. My goal in life is to do my part putting a stop to that.

She let go of me and stepped back. "You're going to help me, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. Me and the entire staff of CBI. We've been assigned to your case. It seems that you dad is a rather important dude." I smiled as best I could. It seems that I don't get a lot practice.

"Oh,thank you, thank you! My dad is really worried about me. He emailed me several times, today, and I had to keep reassuring him that I was okay, even though I kept hearing things and wasn't really sure that I was." She sort of shuddered. "So, what happens now?"

"We set up a meet with your father and decide how to proceed. This Yuri guy, you mentioned, is very bad news. This could be the chance to take him out."

.~~~~~~~.

The meet pickup worked like a charm. Rigsby, driving the CBI, big, black SUV, drove into the underground parking lot of Jisu Electric. Dr Zhou got into the back of the vehicle, where the tinted windows would obscure his presence. Wayne drove out, carefully and slowly, not attracting any attention. Grace and Lisbon, in separate vehicles followed, looking for any sign of anyone following.

Rigsby did the standard random turns and running yellow lights. No sign of anyone following was spotted. He pulled into another underground lot, and Dr. Zhou got out and got into Jane's Citroen. They carefully drove to a safe house on the outskirts of town. Liling and I were waiting, when they arrived.

She hit her dad like a goth tornado, but didn't seem to mind. With a concerned look, he faced us and asked, "What has my daughter gotten herself into, this time?" Lisbon explained to him what as actually happening, and the seriousness of it all. His look of mild concern for his daughter changed to one of fear for both of them.

The plan was simple. Pretend cooperation with them, arrange a meet, take them down. Like all simple plans, the execution could be a bit more difficult. That's why CBI is involved. We're paid to do the difficult and make it look easy. Lisbon has a silver tongue. She sold the plan to Dr. Zhou and had him agreeing with no difficulty. I guess that's why she's in charge. She does a good job. I wouldn't want to do it.

Dr, Zhou was very concerned about Liling, but Lisbon assured him that she was in a very secure safe house that was carefully guarded by a well trained agent. I very cautiously avoid smiling. I hope she meant all that. Very flattering. She glared a me as if to say, "Don't get full of yourself. That's your job." I did not respond.

.~~~~~~~.

Back at my apartment, I questioned Liling about the sounds she'd been hearing. We finally decided that she'd heard the couple one floor down. They had recently moved in, and on the way up, I'd noticed packing material. My conclusion was that something was delivered and she had heard the sounds of that activity. I assured her that only Lisbon knew that she was here, and Lisbon would not be telling anyone. No, Lisbon would not be telling anyone. Having the daughter of someone we're working with, on a case, shacking up with an agent is not exactly standard protocol. I'm quite sure that ice picks under her fingernails would not get Lisbon talk about that.

The day had been quite stress filled for both of us, so we justified a delivery order of some shrimp fried rice. I don't usually splurge like that, but it good to treat yourself nice, every now and then. Besides, Liling was hungry and, while my cooking isn't terrible, delivery is so easy. We went for it.

My oil heater was struggling to keep the room warm. Sacramento apartments simply do have have heating plants sufficient to this type of weather. Besides, no land lord likes to spend more money heating than absolutely necessary.

Liling stood and smiled. "It's cold in here, Kimbal. Why don't we put the sleeping bag on the bed, get naked and keep each other warm? It's better than freezing, isn't it?"

I felt myself flush, and she smiled. She noticed. I'm not exactly used to such a direct approach. I'm going to say that she's not traditional Chinese. I stood and retrieved my sleeping bag from the closet. I placed in on the bed and folded it open. A small, naked Liling pounced on it and snuggled into it. She looked up and smiled. "Don't you know how to undress, Kimbal?" Her wicked, goth grin said more than words ever could!

.~~~~~~~.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cho Ain't Enough – VII**

The cold wind whipping across the flat roof top was miserable, but I ignored it. It got damn cold in Afghanistan, and I'd ignored that, too. The night-brite optics of my scope gave me a weird view of the scene below. This was only chilly, not cold. It wasn't even freezing, so I'd not needed to use the cold weather grease on my weapon.

The M14 is still my weapon of choice, and this one was a beauty. I'd spent hours accurizing it. That involves smoothing all components with extremely fine grit abrasive, and making sure all tolerances are tight and clean. Most of the fittings were of micron level tolerances, now. The scope and been zeroed in fifty yard increments to 1000 yards, and the range finder finely calibrated. This was, now, a precision machine that would perform as it is supposed to perform.

Dr. Zhou's hybrid seemed totally out of place in this warehouse area. Yuri must have been crazy to use this as an exchange area. Yuri. Yuri was crazy like a fox, and that's why he was still operational. He was ex KGB and as nasty as they come. I wish I felt better about this meeting.

A long, black limousine pulled behind the tiny hybrid and flashed its lights. I focused the scope on the limo and felt a sinking feeling. It had diplomatic plates! That car was a protected foreign country! We could not legally touch it. "Stand by, people," my earpiece said. "That car has DPLs. We have a situation, so stay alert."

Dr. Zhou got out of his car and walked to the rear of the limo, where a window had rolled down. He was wired, so we could hear what was said. "You are Zhou," an accented voice asked.

Dr. Zhou nodded. "I am."

"Good. Give it to me," the voice said.

"I give to you, you will not hurt my daughter, yes?"

"Zhou, I have no problem with you or your daughter. You give me the chip, and it will remain that way. You do what you are told to do, there is a lot of money and safety for both of you." A hand, holding a small pouch extend from the window. "Here is your payment, now, the chip." The tone of voice made it clear that it was not a request.

Dr. Zhou handed the man a small wallet, containing the desired chip. It was a real chip, but it was a prior version and was defective, though it would take some time to realize that. The exchange was made, and then the unexpected, unpredictable, happened. Sirens sounded. Sirens heading this way, the blue and red lights visible heading in this direction.

The driver of the the limousine slammed in into reverse and nailed it. The shot that Yuri had aimed at Dr. Zhou went wild, saving his life. Dr. Zhou surprised us all. He hit the deck and rolled under his tiny car. It was a tight fit, but he was not a large man. Yuri didn't even bother trying another shot. The limo careened off, quickly lost to sight to those on the ground..

"Stand down, stand down!" Lisbon shouted into the radio. "We're blown and we can't touch the DPL." She hesitated. "Can you track him, Cho?"

I could see that the driver had screamed through an alley just wide enough for the limo, and turned into an apparently deserted warehouse, completely hidden from view. The escape route had been carefully planned.

I keyed down. "I've lost them, Lisbon. I can't see them." I wasn't lying. I couldn't seen them. The fact was they were almost across the street from me on the opposite side of my perch. I abandoned the rifle so I could move faster and made like a monkey going down the fire escape.

"Okay, people," I heard Lisbon say, "Zhou is okay, regroup at the office."

"Roger," I replied in my turn, as I carefully entered the warehouse. I couldn't see the limo, but I heard the creak of a cooling engine block. Cold weather will do that when you turn a hot engine off. I had a direction and I used it.

I was not being a nice boy, tonight. I aimed my silenced nine millimeter, totally non standard issue, of course, at the rear window and showed myself. As I expected, Yuri rolled the window down and smiled at me. "You can't touch me, pig. This is a foreign country. Touch me and you start world war three." He grinned.

I cocked the pistol for effect. "You think you can threaten an innocent girl and get what ever you want?" The son of a bitch grinned. "You, your driver, and your car will never be found." The soft puff of a well silenced pistol, and splattering brains were the only sound. A second shot, and the driver twitched a couple of times and sagged.

Neither Lisbon or the State Department would be happy with this. Maybe they shouldn't know about it. I dialed a number on my cell phone that was answered on the first ring. "There is a car at..." I gave the details and finished by saying, "it and the bodies in it need to disappear." I nodded. "Okay, I'll owe you," I replied. Sometimes having gang connections can be useful.

Yes, I played judge, jury, and executioner, but if I hadn't who would? If I hadn't what would have been the fate of Dr. Zhou and Liling. I returned to the roof and retrieved my M14. I regretted the loss of my nine millimeter, but it was destined for a blast furnace, now. You don't leave such things lying around.

I was the last one to make it back to the bull pen. "What kept you, Cho?" Lisbon asked. "We were about ready to send out a search party."

"I scouted around looking for the limo."

"Since you're here, I'm going to guess you didn't find it," Jane said, smiling.

I shrugged.

"You can't win them all," Lisbon said. "Now, to business."

We wound up rather quickly. It was late, and we'd do the reports and after analysis debrief in the morning.

That would give me some thinking time. I got a warm feeling, thinking that Liling was waiting for me. I'd sent her a text saying only, "Okay," so she wouldn't worry. Her not worrying was important to me.

.~~~~~~~.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**_I'm going to bundle the epilog with this chapter, so it'll run a little longer than the others._

**Cho Ain't Enough – VIII**

When I returned to my apartment, I got hit with the "Goth Tornado", just as Dr. Zhou had. Like he, I did not mind. What Liling lacks in size, she makes up for in enthusiasm! After getting untangled, she said, "So, tell me all about it. Was it exciting? Did you like it? What happened?" She hesitated to catch her breath, and then continued, "Come on, tell me. Tell me!" She was holding on to my forearm with both hands, almost jumping up and down with excitement.

I smiled at her. "You should ask your dad what happened. He was actually closer to the action than I was. I was backup." I smiled. "Way back! I was on a roof top with a completely unused sniper rifle." I don't know how she does it! She gets more words out of me in a few minutes than anyone else does in a month! She's just so easy to talk to and she seems so interested in everything.

"I will, I will," she said, "But he's not here and you are, so you get to tell me all about it! So, give..."

So, I gave. I felt sort of guilty, but she got the edited, politically correct version of what happened, including my unsuccessful search for the perps. "That's about it," I said. "Your dad was the real hero. The rest of just sort of stood around and looked stupid."

She stepped back and shook her head. "Cho Kimbal, you are a fibbing sack of old kimchi! If it had gone down that way, you would have never sent the okay text." She smiled. "I guess there are things you can't tell me." She sighed. "I don't have to like it, but I understand. I got that at home, a lot."

Where did she get that phrase? I hadn't heard that in years. Suddenly I wanted kimchi. That may not make sense, but I would really like to have some kimchi.

"Am I safe, now? Can I go to work and live a normal life, or do I still have to hide and be scared?" She looked worried.

"Liling, I'd say that you can return to mostly normal. What happened will probably make Yuri back off, maybe even move on. He did get the decoy chip and it will be some time before it's discovered that there is a problem, and there is no way anyone could ever say that it wasn't the real and latest thing. It is an ongoing project." I said that just like it was true. Well, it was true, except for the part about anyone finding out. The dead don't find out anything. At least, if they do, they don't tell anyone.

Liling nodded. "That makes sense," she said, "but I still feel a little uncomfortable. For a brief moment, she looked shy and embarrassed, again. "Kimbal, can I stay with you for a little while? I'd feel so much safer. I won't be any trouble, honest!"

I looked at her wondering and slightly confused. One moment she's a wild goth woman, and then she's a shy little Chinese girl, and I never know who she's going to be next.

"Of course you can stay," I replied. I was thinking that no man would want to say no to her.

She grinned and winked. "You just want me for my body! Wicked man!" Her giggle removed any doubt. The wild goth woman was back.

I gave her my best Cho look, then smiled. "I won't say no to your body, but that's not the reason." My Cho look returned.

She giggled. "You do that really well. Do you actually fool people with that?" I couldn't help it. I smiled. She giggled – Chinese girl - "Made you smile," she said.

I hugged her to me. Mercury was easier to grasp! I have the feeling that I'm going to have some interesting days, while she's here.

.~~~~~~~.

Lisbon looked at the paper she was holding. "We have here, forwarded to us by the State Department, a complaint from the Chinese embassy about a stolen car." She put the paper down and shook her head. "I don't think I've ever encountered such a situation. If that car was stolen, last night, I'm still not sure we could have touched it. I'm wondering if Yuri stole and then dumped it." She sat and took a sip of Rigsby made coffee. "Of course, that could be a cover up, and the Chinese could be up to their necks in this. I'm sure they love to get their hands on that chip."

We all looked at each other. "Cho," Jane said, "if you wanted to dump a car so that it would never be found, how would you do it?"

I turned to face him, impassive. I wonder what he knows. "Chop shop," I said.

He nodded, pensive. "And we only have at least a dozen chop shops within a few miles of us."

Lisbon nodded. "And every one of them is a fortress that could only be breached by force, even with a warrant, and there's no way we're going to get a warrant with what we have." She set the cup down hard enough to show her frustration. "I guess we file this as open, unsolved, pending review."

.~~~~~~~.

I was waiting for the elevator when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and faced Patrick Jane. "You know something," he said, flashing the Jane smile.

I looked at him. "Really?"

He grinned. "Really!" The elevator arrived and I stepped on, closely followed by Jane. "What are you not saying," He asked.

I looked at him and shook my head, my face as bland as usual. Jane grinned. "I know you know more than you're saying. What's it going to take to loosen you up?"

The elevator reached the ground floor, and the door opened. His blather doesn't work on me. "See you tomorrow, Jane," I said as I headed out of CBI. I can be polite.

.~~~~~~~.

I opened my door and stopped dead. I sniffed. I had to smile. I smelled kimchi!

.~~~~~~~.

**Epilog**

Three weeks and the limo remained missing. There had been a couple of inquiries from the Chinese, but since it had been stolen from inside of the embassy grounds, they were not making a big issue of it. They did not want to admit how vulnerable they really were. There was no chatter about a new chip for sale, or even any rumors that one had been made available. It was as if the limo and chip had just vanished.

Every time the subject came up I got penetrating looks from Jane. I'd finally figured out what he had been doing, staring at me like he did. He was watching my eyes for pupil reactions. I'd discovered that, with a little effort, you can alter the dilation response. It was driving him crazy. I don't think he had a clue that I was on to him. Over confidence can make you careless. I was enjoying myself.

After the first week, Liling seemed to return to her normal self. She went to work, each day, and each day, a few more of her personal items appeared in my apartment. Somehow we never discussed her living arrangement, and we just took each day as it came. We were comfortable together.

I've always had the attitude that, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Except for one thing. We agreed that there would be no more kimchi. I'd forgotten how bad it can be.

.~~~~~~~.

**A/N: I do hope that the reading of this was enjoyable for you.**


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